Anna Popplewell versus Lady Gaga
(Words: Anon / Results: Lookout!)

Before: "Lady Gaga has done fine for herself at bantam. So she's no pushover! But until recently she was ranked next to me, even though she hasn't stepped in the ring for a while." Anna Popplewell did not mention the first round knockout loss to Christina Aguilera that preceded Lady Gaga's leave of absence. "So, I decided to do her a favor and call her out! Use it or lose it!"

Lady Gaga seemed in favor of a return to the ring. "Anna is definitely good enough to threaten me, but I have put tougher women down for the count and then some. She'll put up a fight, but expect her to go down hard when the time comes."

On fight night, Lady Gaga walked down the ramp in a silver one piece and matching gloves, runway walk and attitude present in full force. Popplewell entered in a red leotard soon after, waving and nearly wandering off to greet a fan as Lady Gaga warmed up. Minor posturing ensued -- Gaga posed with her chest out and biceps flexed, facing the crowd and working them up while pointing her ass at her rival. Popplewell, saving the direct engagement for the fight, struck a pose for her half of the audience after watching her opponent steal the spotlight.

Round 1:
After catching a left hook to the jaw in the opening clash, Lady Gaga hurriedly backpedaled. Rallying well, she exchanged swings with Popplewell inconclusively several times, with the brunette attempting to mount an offence but not finding an opening. A slight overcommitment by Popplewell allowed the blonde singer to land a solid hit to her opponent's nose, changing the momentum and giving her a chance to retaliate. By the end of the round, Lady Gaga had landed a few more clean, unanswered punches.

Round 2:
The second round began with more skirmishing, as both women seemed to respect their opponent's ability enough to avoid a head on collision. Popplewell landed the first solid strike, a straight right to the mouth. Lady Gaga did not wince or slow down, but did not take control either, aside from a brief period towards the finish, which Popplewell ended with another strong right. It was a small win for Popplewell, but both fighters were clearly only getting started.

Round 3:
Popplewell began the round well, keeping Lady Gaga penned in with her jab and punishing her as she tried to break out. After several failed attempts and a corresponding number of painful rebukes, the blonde finally freed herself with a straight right to her rival's face that pushed her away. Seeing an opening, Lady Gaga lashed out with a sudden left hook. Popplewell spun to the right and collapsed on her side, as Lady Gaga made a dismissive motion with her hands and walked away. Popplewell was on her feet quickly, wincing and holding the side of her face during the short break. When the action resumed, she clashed with Lady Gaga firmly, showing little sign of being hurt, but could not turn back her opponent's momentum.

Round 4:
Though she survived and fought on through a knockdown, Popplewell seemeed to struggle in the opening of the fourth round, leaving her blonde rival avoidable openings and paying the price as her silver gloves found their mark. Things only got worse for Popplewell as the round progressed; despite several solid attempts to recover midway through the round, Gaga was able to take back control again and again. By the end of the round, Popplewell was looking much slower after absorbing heavy punishment with little reward.

Round 5:
Gaga, moving for an early finish against a weakened Popplewell, seemed surprised when the brunette drove her off in a spurt of intense action. Not ready to quit, the brunette pursued her rival before taking a blow to the chin and wisely backing off. Once again, the two women slowed the pace -- Popplewell likely not as recovered as she might appear, Lady Gaga wary of how much energy her opponent had left. While the blonde landed blows to the body unanswered at times, the moment um had slipped away from her for the moment.

Round 6:
Lady Gaga, this time taking her rival more seriously, settled in to further weaken Popplewell, trying to tag her and trap her. However, before the end of the first minute, Popplewell had pulled another surprise, putting her weight behind a left hook and landing it with a thud. Gaga, temporarily stunned, was unable to prevent the brunette's uppercut and likely superfluous follow up from landing, and collapsed onto her back with her mouth wide open. Popplewell fidgeted back and forth in one place, hands over her mouth, watching captivated as the blonde struggled upright. Lady Gaga's response was enough to convince the referee to continue. However, the blonde faced an uphill battle; Popplewell quickly pounced, zipping around Gaga's punches and landing a left hand, knocking her back. Popplewell chased the suffering blonde onto the ropes, leaning into a right hook that struck Gaga's cheek, buckling her legs for an instant. Popplewell's left hand landed without any difficulty, and her right hand crashed into Gaga's face with no response. The referee grabbed the victorious brunette halfway through her wholly unnecessary follow up swing as Lady Gaga got an arm over the top rope to avoid falling on her face. The result -- TKO6 Popplewell -- generated no arguments.

After: Lady Gaga refused to move from her spot some time, her legs limp and failing to support her body unassisted. Popplewell, meanwhile, got an assist from part of her entourage, lifting the best woman high so that she could flex her arms and blow kisses in full view of the crowd. "She put everything into this fight and so did I... everything she had just wasn't enough to stop me!" commented a still sweaty Popplewell once the smoke cleared. "Isn't that why we all show up?"